


One Year Later

by appleslovetea



Category: Finder no Hyouteki | Finder Series
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-01
Updated: 2017-04-01
Packaged: 2018-10-13 17:05:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,656
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10518081
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/appleslovetea/pseuds/appleslovetea
Summary: One year after their breakup, Asami and Akihito unexpectedly bump into each other, and old feelings start stirring in them again. But with life throwing new responsibilities at them individually, can they really pick up their relationship where they left it?





	

The two of them were bound to bump into each other again.

 

Although being considered a large metropole, Tokyo can still feel like a village at times, particularly to those who share a built-in magnet that somehow keeps interweaving their paths in life.

 

It might be so, but it still took a whole year and a very busy Haneda airport for the chance encounter to take place between the two of them, and even though Asami had expected it to eventually happen, he was nevertheless unable to mask his surprise when his eyes unexpectedly fell upon his former lover, as the latter walked out of the jet bridge opposite the one he’d just come out from.

 

The business man stopped abruptly, his mind automatically zoning out whatever it was that Kirishima was trying to tell him at the time, and he simply stood there, smack in the middle of the airport´s arrivals hall, his eyes glued on Akihito, as the younger man stepped away from the passenger crowd and started walking towards a nearby sitting area.

 

Asami watched on as the photographer dropped his travel backpack on one of the vacant seats, followed by a much smaller one with a Batman drawing on its front, and which no doubt belonged to the sleeping infant Akihito carried on his arm at the moment.

 

The young man was in the process of transferring the child from one arm to the other, when he finally noticed Asami looking at him from the other side of the hall; and the same surprised expression that had framed the older man’s features a few seconds ago was instantly mirrored on Akihito’s face.

 

“Asami-sama?” The business man heard his assistant’s voice as if coming to him from the far end of a tunnel.

 

“Asami-sama, are you feeling alright?” Kirishima asked with noticeable concern.

 

The older man had to blink a couple of times to free himself from the momentary spell he’d fallen into, but by then the other man too had spotted Akihito.

 

Kirishima coughed to get his boss' attention; his voice all professional. “I should go and check if Suoh has already arrived with the limo, sir.” He said. “Perhaps you’d like to wait in the sitting area while I go out and check.” He added, pointing towards Akihito’s general direction. “I can give you a call once I confirm Suoh has arrived.” Kirishima glanced sideways at the photographer then, who remained in a frozen-like state on the other side of the hall. “Shall I call you in, let’s say, 20 minutes?”

 

Asami couldn’t help but grin at the remark. His assistant could be so unbelievably transparent at times. “How considerate of you to suggest that, Kirishima.” He nevertheless said.

 

A mischievous smile appeared on the other man's lips for a moment. “Always looking towards your best interests, sir.” He acknowledged with a respectful bow, just before turning round and walking towards the main exit doors, along with the other passengers.

 

For a few seconds nothing worthy of note happened, with Asami merely watching on as Kirishima disappeared behind a corner, but when he turned his stare back towards Akihito he could have sworn he saw the younger man flinch under his gaze.

 

It didn’t seem that the photographer had any intention of moving from his spot though, so Asami ended up being the one to walk over, albeit taking his time in doing so in order to allow the last of the arriving passengers to clear out of the space.

 

As the distance between the two former lovers decreased, Asami found himself thinking how infinitely strange it was to finally see Akihito in person again. Had it really been a whole year since they'd last seen each other?

 

For at times it seemed the business man had only to close his eyes in order to hear Akihito’s intoxicating laughter again, or to feel the softness of the younger man’s skin against his own, or even to have a taste of his warm lips. Asami remembered every sensation such actions provoked in him with the utmost detail.

 

And yet the undeniable truth was that they were no longer together... and that they hadn't been together for many months now.

 

The photographer looked pretty much the same though. A year hadn’t made much of a difference to him. At least at first glance.

 

His hair was slightly longer at the front and cut shorter at the sides to mimic the latest fashion trend among men his age, but as far as Asami was concerned, Akihito would always look like a kid no matter how old he grew or what he did to his hair, and that thought alone made the ghost of a smile appear on the older man’s lips.

 

Surprisingly, Akihito ended up being the first one to speak up. "Hi.” He said quietly, the word sounding more like a sigh.

 

“Hello, Akihito.” Asami replied calmly.

 

“ _Did you flinch again?_ ” He found himself thinking, as a tremor seemed to rock the photographer's body at the older man's greeting. One the young man cleverly concealed by quickly directing his gaze towards the exit doors.

 

“Was that Kirishima-san with you just now?” Akihito asked while frowning.

 

“Yes. That was him.”

 

Akihito grimaced. “I never imagined him as the type who'd enjoy sporting a mustache.”

 

The older man suppressed a laugh at the observation. "I’m assuming he's just going through an experimental phase… I wouldn’t mention anything to him on the subject if I were you though. Suoh did that mistake a while ago and they’re still not back on perfect speaking terms.”

 

Akihito’s smile reached all the way up to his eyes. “I bet.” He retorted amused, and it took every ounce of control in Asami’s body not to lean down and capture the younger man's lips in a kiss right then and there.

 

If Akihito only knew how much he missed that smile.

 

“So what are you doing here?” They both asked in unison.

 

“Huh…you first.” The photographer answered sheepishly.

 

“I just came back from a business trip to Okinawa. I’m overseeing the plans for a new hotel complex on the main island… You?”

 

“Oh, I just took this little one to visit his grandparents up north.”

 

As if on cue, the boy snuggled closer to Akihito’s neck, mumbling sweet nothings in his sleep.

 

Asami's stare shifted towards the child for the first time since joining Akihito. “...So that’s him, huh?”

 

“Yep. This is little Hiro-kun.”

 

“He doesn’t look all that little anymore... How old is he now?” Asami asked, recalling the last time he had had the (dubious) pleasure of putting up with the infant back when Akihito was babysitting him at his old penthouse apartment. He couldn’t have been more than a few months old at the time.

 

“He’ll be two years old next month.”

 

“Does he let you sleep now? Or does he still spend most nights throwing tantrums like before?”

 

Akihito chuckled. “Nah, he’s fine now. If anything he spends most of his time taking naps. I never met a kid who likes to sleep so much.”

 

“…And you? How are you coping with the whole single parent business?”

 

The unexpected question surprised Akihito, as did the intense gaze Asami was directing at him at the time. For a second, the photographer thought about playing tough and cool and pretending it was all a walk in the park, but he was sure that the business man would be able to see right through him.

 

“It’s tough…” He finally said, a tired smile framing his lips. “Most days it’s a struggle and I don’t think I’m fit for the job, but I owe it to Takato and his wife to take care of this little fellow as best as I can…”

 

Akihito fell silent for a moment; the unexpected death of his best friend and wife in a car crash a little over a year ago still fresh in his mind; much like the shock of finding out shortly after that Takato had named him Hiroto’s legal guardian in his will.

 

The photographer shook his head to dispel the dark thoughts. “But never mind all that, at the end of the day Hiro-kun is the best thing that ever happened to me. I mean, one giggle from him is worth all the trouble in the worl-“

 

He stopped mid-sentence again as his eyes fell on Asami’s face, suddenly remembering that Hiroto was in essence the reason for their breakup. After all, kids aren’t in any way compatible with Asami Ryuichi’s lifestyle… or so that’s how the saying went… at the time.

 

“I’m sure you know all about that now though.” Akihito continued; his eyes shifting towards the floor tiles besides Asami’s feet. For some reason he couldn’t hold the older man’s gaze any longer. “I guess I never ended up having the chance to congratulate you… What’s your daughter’s name? I read in some magazine she had a foreign name. Alexa, is it?”

 

“Alexia." Asami corrected. "...Her name is Alexia.”

 

So Akihito knew…

 

Of course he knew. Why wouldn’t he? The entire bloody country knew Asami had a daughter by now.

 

Serves him right though, for of all the people he could have rebounded with after his breakup with Akihito, Asami had ended up accepting the advances of a famous foreign supermodel, who unknowingly to the business man had purposely chosen him as the father of her still-to-be-conceived child.

 

The pregnancy was no accident of course, but it was not like the mother was looking to extract anything from Asami aside from a part of his genetic material. There was no emotional involvement in their relationship whatsoever. They were both just in it for the sex.

 

She saw him as a rich, handsome, available plaything. He saw her as a way to get his mind off of Takaba Akihito for at least a couple of hours each day.

 

Whatever the reasons that motivated them, the truth was that the consequence of their brief fling was now a two month old baby girl, who was best known in the social media universe for being paroled around the world’s fashion capitals by her senseless excuse for a mother, who viewed the baby more as a fashion accessory than as an actual human being.

 

And Asami Ryuichi had had enough of all that; which was the reason why a very nasty and very public parental custody case was now underway in both Japan and the UK, aiming for the child’s full custody.

 

If Asami’s lawyers were correct (and Asami had every reason to believe they were), then the odds in this case were on the father’s favor for a change, and it wouldn’t be too long before Alexia’s full custody would be awarded to him.

 

Which brought on another problem for the business man: What on earth was he going to do with a two month old baby girl?! He had no clue how to take care of a child!

 

“Akihito, I…” He started; wanting to explain himself and everything that had happened in the year they’d been apart, but somehow failing to find the right words.

 

“Don’t.” Akihito said unexpectedly, still not looking at him. “Don’t say anything, please...”

 

Without even realizing it, Asami took a step closer towards Akihito. "You deserve an explanation." He said; his voice although sounding neutral, revealing a degree of emotion that would no doubt have shocked most of his acquaintances, if they were to hear him then.

 

 _Explanation_ , he said... But what explanation exactly?

 

That deep down Asami knew that letting Akihito go had been the stupidest decision he'd taken in his life? That he had tried to convince himself that he did not need the younger man? That he could somehow go on with his self-centered, work-obsessed life perfectly unperturbed?

 

That he had soon realized he was sorely mistaken but had stubbornly still tried to seek Akihito's warmth in another's arms and in the process had ended up committing the very sin which had caused him to push Akihito away from him and his life in the first place?

 

Explain that _he_ , Asami Ryuichi, who took pride in never succumbing to petty emotions or sentimentalisms had felt hollow and half the person he once had been over the past twelve months without Akihito?

 

How could he bring himself to explain _that_ in words?

 

He was a ruthless business man who all but destroyed whoever made the mistake of opposing his goals, but when it came to his emotional side he was completely tongue tied.

 

Akihito's voice was barely louder than a whisper when he next spoke, interrupting the older man's dark musings in the process.

 

"You don't need to explain anything to me."

 

Asami let out a tired sigh. "I owe you that much."

 

His hand lifted out of its own accord, but before he had a chance to brush his fingers against the other man's face, Akihito took a step back, increasing the distance between them.

 

"Don't!" The young man seemed to plead. "Please..."

 

Asami saw him clutching the infant tighter and gave up; his hand, which had been frozen mid-air, coming down to rest alongside his body again.

 

"You never stopped by the penthouse to fetch your stuff. Why is that?" He asked; his voice guarded once again.

 

Akihito looked surprised by the question. "I-I thought you´d moved."

 

"I did. But I still own the old penthouse. I still stay there from time to time, but it's mostly empty now, save for your things." The older man replied. "...But you know that, don't you?"

 

A faint blush spread over the photographer's cheekbones, as he once again averted his gaze from Asami.

 

"...Are you that afraid of bumping into me, Akihito? Is that why you never went back to get your things?"

 

"I...I..." Akihito stammered, biting his lower lip. "...Actually, I lost the key to the apartment." The young man said.

 

A chuckle escaped Asami's lips at the remark. " _Liar_." He thought to himself, and fumbled with his coat's pockets until he found his keychain, extracting from it a single long key.

 

"Here." Asami said, moving closer to Akihito once again and depositing the key onto the young man's palm. "It's a spare." And then he leaned even closer to the photographer and whispered in his ear: "I'll be out of town this weekend on another business trip. It will be safe for you to stop by the penthouse then to pick up your stuff."

 

The business man had to suppress a grin when he took in the sight of Akihito's flaming red cheeks as he pulled away.

 

Not wishing to prolong the younger man's embarrassment any longer though, he soon turned round, intent on moving towards the exit doors and going out to find Kirishima.

 

He had taken only a few steps when Akihito's voice reached him from behind.

 

"...What if I don't want it to be 'safe'?"

 

Without warning the business man's heart jolted inside his chest. For a moment, Asami wasn't sure if he could trust what he'd just heard (perhaps his ears were playing tricks on him).

 

He felt the air stuck in his lungs, and a curious sensation in the pit of his stomach ended up sending a chill down his spine, but his cool and collected outside composure did not betray in any way the turmoil Akihito's words had unexpectedly produced within him.

 

Slowly, Asami turned his head so that he could look over his shoulder at the photographer. "Then I'll take whatever you are willing to give to me, Akihito."

 

He noticed quite clearly when Akihito's eyes widened ever so slightly in surprise.

 

"But think it through... Because whatever I take this time, I won't ever let it go."

 

And with that Asami walked away; a feeling of hope he thought forever lost washing over his body like a wave.

 

**(to be continued)**


End file.
